Geelong played Sydney off the park and out of AFL top-two calculations with a commanding 44-point win at Simonds Stadium on Saturday.

The Cats only need to beat struggling Brisbane next weekend to guarantee a top-two finish and a home qualifying final, while the Swans will finish third or fourth and have to travel in week one of the play-offs.

In a further blow to Sydney's premiership defence, running defender Rhyce Shaw ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee early in the first quarter and faces a year on the sidelines.

The Cats were in control throughout and would have won by more if not for some reckless finishing in front of goal in the 13.14 (92) to 7.6 (48) victory. But they were still able to hold the reigning premiers to their lowest score of the year in a match played in perfect conditions.

The Cats had a host of good players, among them Steve Johnson (26 possessions and four goals), Mathew Stokes, Mitch Duncan and skipper Joel Selwood. Steven Motlop also capped an impressive outing by jumping over the top of Duncan late in the final quarter to pull in a contender for mark of the year.

Sydney were best served by co-captain Jarrad McVeigh, while ruck-forward Mike Pyke took several strong contested marks and kicked three of his team's meagre tally of seven goals.

Triple premiership star Paul Chapman started as substitute in his first outing since round four, but was able to enter the fray early in the opening quarter when big Cat Nathan Vardy was subbed off after being accidentally kneed in the head by opposing ruckman Shane Mumford.

Chapman made the most of it, gathering nine possessions and a goal before again donning the green vest late in the term when Vardy was cleared of concussion and passed fit to come back on.

Fan favourite Chapman finished the match with an encouraging 14 touches and is likely to play a full game next weekend in Geelong's last pre-game finals tune-up against the Lions.

The Cats boast a formidable 8-1 win-loss record against the other top-eight sides this year. Geelong have won 42 of their past 43 matches at this venue dating back to round three, 2008 - with the only blemish being a 13-point loss to Sydney late in 2011.

•Essendon have stunned wasteful arch-rivals Carlton, with David Zaharakis sealing a thrilling comeback AFL win to set the scene for a fascinating final week of the home-and-away season.

With the Bombers coming off four straight heavy defeats and expected to be stripped of their finals berth in coming days over last year's supplements saga, the Blues would have been assured of at least sewing up ninth spot and becoming the beneficiaries had they won.

Instead, Carlton constantly squandered scoring chances with inaccurate kicking, then let slip a 20-point third-quarter lead to fall 12.10 (82) to 9.22 (76) at the MCG on Saturday night.

Now, the Blues must beat Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium next Saturday to ensure they're the side that will enter the eight if Essendon are kicked out. If Carlton lose that game, North Melbourne, West Coast, Adelaide or perhaps Brisbane could potentially overtake them.

The Blues were on top in general play for much of Saturday's game. But they kicked 3.9 and another shot out on the full to Essendon's 4.2 in the first quarter to lead by just a point.

The Bombers surged to a 13-point lead midway through the second term and, while Carlton kicked the last two goals of the first half, Dennis Armfield then sprayed a shot out on the full to leave them trailing by three points at the long break.

Carlton dominated the third term, with 12 scoring shots to two but, even then, they kept Essendon in the hunt, scoring 4.8 to two goals to lead by 17 points at the last change.

Within 15 minutes of the final term, David Myers, Michael Hurley and Paddy Ryder had all kicked goals and the Bombers were in front by a point. The Blues continued to waste chances late in the game, with Lachie Henderson and Bryce Gibbs missing set shots, Gibbs tying the scores with his behind from 40m with less than three minutes left.

Essendon then surged forward and, while Carlton's Jarrad Waite took a strong defensive mark to repel one attack and Kade Simpson earned a gutsy free kick to repel another, the Bombers came again. This time, Nick Kommer laid a crucial tackle on Simpson deep in attack, Zaharakis pounced and goaled and the Bombers climbed six points clear and held on to win.

Captain Jobe Watson (27 disposals, two goals) and Brendon Goddard (27 disposals) led the way for the Bombers, while Simpson was excellent for the Blues.

•Port Adelaide booked their spot in the AFL finals despite suffering a 74-point defeat to Fremantle at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night. Dockers goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne and skipper Matthew Pavlich booted four goals apiece as the home side cruised to the 21.8 (134) to 9.6 (60) victory.

The loss was arguably Port Adelaide's worst effort of the year. But they had plenty of reasons to celebrate after the game as news filtered through that Essendon had upset Carlton. That result guaranteed Port Adelaide would finish in the top-eight, even if they lose to the ninth-placed Blues at AAMI Stadium next Saturday.

The finals berth under new coach Ken Hinkley caps a remarkable turnaround for the Power, who won just five games last year in a campaign that cost Matthew Primus his job. Fremantle leapfrogged Sydney into third spot on the table following their fifth straight win. But the Dockers need Brisbane to upset Geelong at Simonds Stadium next week if they are to nab second spot.

Fremantle defender Nick Suban is in danger of missing the start of the finals after injuring his right hamstring in the opening term. Ballantyne entered the match under his own injury cloud after damaging his right shoulder against Melbourne the week before.

The 26-year-old didn't appear all too bothered in the opening half, booting three goals and causing all sorts of problems at ground level as the Dockers opened up a match-winning 55-point lead. But it wasn't all smooth sailing for the little maestro, who sent a scare through the Dockers' camp in the third quarter when he grabbed his shoulder in pain after being tackled hard to the ground.

Ballantyne immediately went off for treatment, but he was given the green light to resume and kicked his fourth goal shortly after.

Michael Walters and Ballantyne combined for the first four goals of the match as the Dockers' frenzied pressure took its toll on the Power. Ballantyne's pressure at ground level was simply brilliant, with Power defenders often forced to rush their disposal as the Dockers goalsneak closed them down.

Fremantle slammed through five unanswered goals during the second term, but Ballantyne's third major was a highly controversial one. Ballantyne should have had little trouble as he ran onto a loose ball in the goalsquare after Walters punched it into his path.

But a wicked bounce saw the ball evade Ballantyne's swinging boot, with the Docker hanging his head in disappointment as the ball dribbled over the goal line. However, the goal umpire awarded the goal without going to a review after deeming Ballantyne had made contact.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon confirmed Suban had suffered a tight hamstring, but said the rebounding defender remained a chance to take on the Saints next week. Lyon claimed Ballantyne's injury scare was more related to his ribs rather than his shoulder.

•Hawthorn have secured a home AFL qualifying final and all but put North Melbourne out of September contention with a hard-fought 14-point win.

The Hawks were in big trouble during the first half, but rallied to beat North 17.15 (117) to 15.13 (103) on Saturday at Etihad Stadium.

Captain Luke Hodge starred in defence for Hawthorn, while Lance Franklin kicked five goals. Jarryd Roughead remains among the leaders for the Coleman Medal with four goals.

North midfielder Daniel Wells was outstanding with 27 possessions. Hawthorn's Luke Breust kicked the first goal of the game after two minutes, but North quickly responded with three of their own.

The Kangaroos' intent was clear - run the Hawks off their feet. A goal to Roughead at the end of the first term reduced the margin to two points. But the Hawks lost Liam Shiels with an ankle injury early in the second quarter.

Their problems compounded as the Kangaroos took control of the match with three goals. Then veteran Brent Harvey celebrated his latest one-year contract extension by first landing a heavy knock on Brian Lake and then running around the Hawks defender for a big goal.

That gave the Kangaroos a 26-point lead at eight minutes, their high-water mark for the game. North's mistakes, plus some dubious umpiring decisions and a growing sense of desperation among the Hawks, stopped the surge.

'Roos coach Brad Scott was furious when Franklin blatantly pushed opponent Michael Firrito in the back, but was not penalised. Franklin then kicked a crucial goal as the Hawks went into half-time trailing by 13 points. The free-kick count at half-time was 13-6 Hawthorn's way and 20-12 for the game.

North's relentless attempt to control the match meant the Hawks only had 138 disposals in the first half to 211 for the Kangaroos.

With the game in the balance, Hodge was superb across half-back at the start of the third term. He took several intercept marks as North pressed, but only managed one goal. A superb spoil from Hodge at 12 minutes led directly to a Hawks counter-attack and a second goal to Breust - putting them in front for the first time since the opening term.

With coach Alastair Clarkson issuing urgent instructions from the interchange bench, Hawthorn kicked seven goals to four in the third term and led by seven points at the final break.

Cyril Rioli was among several Hawthorn players who lifted noticeably after half-time. North again had their chances at the start of the final term, but only managed two behinds.

Goals to Roughead and Franklin gave Hawthorn a crucial break and they held on as North kicked 1.4 for the term. Rioli gave Hawthorn a scare when he limped off midway through the last quarter, but the ankle injury apparently was not serious.

•Adelaide midfielder Scott Thompson tormented his former AFL club Melbourne with a best-afield display in the Crows' 68-point victory on Saturday.

Thompson gathered a game-high 33 disposals as Adelaide continued Melbourne's miserable season with an 18.12 (120) to 7.10 (52) win at AAMI Stadium.

Thompson, who left the Demons after the 2004 season to join Adelaide, was a standout, Lewis Johnston kicked six goals, Sam Jacobs ruled the rucks and first-year Crows Mitch Grigg and Brad Crouch were influential.

Melbourne forwards Jeremy Howe, Jack Watts and Colin Sylvia each kicked two goals and Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes battled gamely against the tide.The Demons had the better of a lacklustre opening term, kicking 2.3 to 1.2, but lost David Rodan, who was substituted at quarter-time with a left ankle injury. Melbourne then went missing in a costly second-term slumber when the Crows piled on five goals in 10 minutes.

Adelaide's goal spree went unanswered by the visitors, who didn't score at all until Howe kicked his second goal more than 26 minutes into the quarter. The Crows led 7.4 to 4.5 at half-time and were propelled by their dual club champion Thompson, who collected 22 disposals to the main break, and ruckman Jacobs, who logged 23 hit-outs for the half.

Any hope of a Melbourne rally was terminated by two atrocious discipline lapses which book-ended the third term. Four minutes into the quarter, defender Lynden Dunn inexplicably punched Andy Otten in the chest some 100 metres off the ball - the blow contained little force but was spotted by the umpire and the Crow goaled from 20 metres out.

And the last act of the quarter was another woeful Melbourne moment: Tom McDonald was outmarked by Adelaide forward Johnston but then knocked the ball from the Crow player's hands. McDonald was penalised 50m but didn't even bother to stand the mark, allowing Johnston to stroll to the goalline to score.

Johnston potted four of his six majors in the last quarter of a game which was Adelaide's last at AAMI Stadium - they move to a redeveloped Adelaide Oval next season.

• On Friday night, Collingwood's Travis Cloke took the lead in the tight race for the AFL's Coleman Medal during a Magpie demolition of a limp West Coast.

The Magpies climbed into fifth spot at least temporarily with their 15.11 (101) to 5.9 (39) win at the MCG as they tuned up for an elimination final the weekend after next.

But it could hardly have been termed a finals dress rehearsal, given the lack of pressure applied by the injury-depleted Eagles, whose two biggest losses this year have now come in the past two rounds. Their total on Friday night was their lowest ever against Collingwood.

The Magpies kicked eight of the game's first nine goals, the first five of those coming in a 10-minute burst, to put the result virtually beyond doubt inside the first quarter. They had 74 more disposals than the Eagles and still laid 15 more tackles.

Cloke kicked three goals to move to 61 for the season, one clear of West Coast's Josh Kennedy, Hawthorn's Jarryd Roughead and Greater Western Sydney's Jeremy Cameron, who had started the round tied for the lead.

Kennedy didn't add to his tally on Friday night, starved of opportunities given Collingwood's midfield dominance. Ex-defender Ben Reid again showed his value in attack with four majors.

Magpie 2011 Brownlow Medallist Dane Swan did no harm to his chances of vying for another with a 34-disposal, two-goal game, including a classy running major under pressure late in the first quarter. First-year colleague Josh Thomas also impressed, with 35 disposals, while Scott Pendlebury (37 disposals) also racked up the touches.

The one sour note for the Magpies was an injury to Luke Ball, who was subbed out of the game at the start of the second half. The silver lining was that it gave veteran substitute Alan Didak the chance to play a full half in his first AFL game since round 11. That delighted the 41,198-strong crowd, who cheered each of his 15 touches, particularly his last-term goal.

Matt Priddis battled wholeheartedly against the tide, with 32 disposals and nine tackles in his 150th game, while fellow midfielder Chris Masten was solid and Dean Cox had the better of Brodie Grundy in the ruck.